Plenary biographies
Kim Jelfs Dr. Kim Jelfs is a Reader and Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College. Her group specialises in the use of computer simulations to assist in the discovery of supramolecular materials, particularly porous materials and organic electronics. This includes the development of software to automate the assembly and testing of materials, with the application of artificial intelligence techniques including an evolutionary algorithm. Kim completed her PhD in Computational Chemistry at UCL (UK) in 2010, studying the crystal growth of zeolitic materials. She worked as a PDRA conducting simulations across the experimental groups of Profs. Andy Cooper and Prof. Matt Rosseinsky at the University of Liverpool, before beginning her independent research at Imperial in 2013. She was awarded a 2018 Royal Society of Chemistry Harrison- Meldola Memorial Prize, a 2019 Philip Leverhulme Prize in Chemistry, was the 2022 Blavatnik Awards Laureate in Chemistry and holds an ERC Starting Grant. Kim is an Associate Editor for Chemical Communications . Olli Ikkala, Dr. Olli Ikkala is a distinguished professor of Aalto University/ Department of Applied Physics. His research interest is to develop functional materials based on hierarchical self-assemblies, biomimetics, and materials originating from nature. Originally educated in quantum physics, he was first affiliated 10 years in chemical industry to develop electrically conducting polymers. Professor Olli Ikkala has + 300 articles cited ca. 25,000 times, many in the most prestigeous journals. He has been awarded twice both the Advanced Grant of ERC and the Academy Professorship of Academy of Finland. The awards include Alexander von Humboldt Research Award and Finnish Science Award. His recent interest is related to life-inspired dynamic materials, for example chemical programming for learning-inpired functions and homeostasis. He works in several advisory and evaluation duties nationally and internationally and has collaborated over the years with polymer, paint, and forest product industry. Julia A. Kornfield Professor Julia A. Kornfield is the Elizabeth W. Gilloon Professor of Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. Her group designs and synthesizes new molecules guided by understanding their physics. Polymers developed at Caltech are currently used to customize human vision by noninvasively optimizing a lens after it is implanted into a patient’s eye (FDAapproved 2017). Kornfield co-founded Fluid Efficiency, which uses “megasupramolecules" to improve hydrocarbon transport and safety. Thus, her work spans from fundamental research on the molecular basis of polymer structure and properties, to commercialization of polymers that improve sustainability, health and safety. Elected to the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors, she has been recognized as an outstanding mentor by Caltech’s Graduate Students and received the Bingham Medal of the Society of Rheology, among other honors.
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